


come to me

by stilljunhui (acyria)



Series: Junhao Summer Bingo 2018 [4]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dreams vs. Reality, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 16:19:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16245344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acyria/pseuds/stilljunhui
Summary: He wasn’t sure when the dreams started, norwhythey did, or how Minghao came to be.





	come to me

**Author's Note:**

> I'm uploading this an entire month and a few days past the deadline even if this was finished way before then,,, mainly cuz I haven't had the time, but also I didn't upload this earlier when I could have since I was iffy with the ending and I rewrote it over and over until I realized there was no way I was gonna be completely satisfied with it.  
>   
> This fic is born from the Cloud Gazing square on my Junhao Bingo card. I don't have a lot to say about it other than my frustrations, but I hope you enjoy reading it nonetheless!

There was an endless sky of blue and white; the clouds shifted with the breeze, the grass moved along with it, and in the middle of it all was Wen Junhui. An expanse of field and flowers surrounded him, never touching him no matter which direction he travelled. The way the dreams started was always the same—he would be lying down on the grass, eyes lifted up towards the sky, just waiting. That was usually how Junhui could tell he was going to have to be ready to meet the other boy again. 

 

Sometimes, he was late. Most of the time though, Junhui didn’t have to wait very long before he would feel a presence beside him, shifting next to him on the grass. 

 

A content sigh would always start the conversation.

 

“I’m thinking that one looks like a cat,” Minghao said as a form of greeting. His arm was already stretched out, finger pointing towards one of the clouds. “What do you think?”

 

“A cat? I don’t see it.”

 

The blonde boy laughed, “try looking again.”

 

This was definitely Junhui’s favourite part as he stared at the sky in anticipation. Cloud gazing—at least outside of these dreams—wasn’t something he found himself doing often. Mainly because he figured balls of white were hardly anything interesting. Sure, they moved and all that, but the shapes were always ambiguous at best. Here though, it was always fun. Minghao made sure of that. 

 

The cloud that the other boy had pointed out began to change, shifting slowly to resemble more like the cat Minghao had claimed it to be. It moved a little more than clouds should, that was for sure, but Junhui had long ignored the physics and logic of a dream. Soon, the cloud took the form of an actual cat that pranced around the field next to them while Junhui watched in delight.

 

He wasn’t sure when the dreams started, nor _why_ they did, or how Minghao came to be.

 

Junhui had tried asking about the other boy a few times; simple questions like whether they’ve met in the real world before, why could him dreams be controlled this way, _what_ was the other boy exactly, why did all of his recurring dreams have Minghao in them, what was all this about—okay, so most of them weren’t simple. He’d always be met with a small smile and a change of topic that eventually made the brunette give up. 

 

He settled for just enjoy their time together some time after the 13th dream.

 

“I won’t be here for long this time,” Minghao began to say. 

 

“Why not?” Junhui asked, half distracted by the cloud cat on his lap. It really was a short run this time; just one cloud transformation, after all. Most of the time, Minghao could turn everything into something else; from animals, to objects, to changing their scenery. Junhui tried a few times, thinking that it was _his_ dream after all and he _should_ have control, but to no such luck.

 

The other boy laughed, “it’s because you should really be waking up. You slept in class, Junhui.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Just like that, the dream dissolved, with the loud ringing of the school bell filling his ears. Junhui groaned and sat up from his desk, opening his eyes to find that the history teacher was telling the class about homework, leaving right after, while his classmates were in the midst of packing up. Next to him, his best friend Jihoon was still seated. He looked only slightly unamused as he shook his head.

 

“Pleasant dreams, Jun?”

 

Junhui could only nod sheepishly, as he fixed his stuff so that the two could finally make their way to their next class. On the way there, the Chinese boy began retelling his dreams, like he always did to a rather skeptic Jihoon, who would usually just nod. This time, the shorter boy couldn’t help but scoff at how Junhui woke up _because_ Minghao said so.

 

“Are you sure this Minghao guy isn’t just your subconscious?” Jihoon asked. “Your brain probably just gave him a form and everything.”

 

“It’s possible,” the brunette said lightly, but knew he wouldn’t believe in that even if he tried. He should know the difference between something he made himself and something—well, something different, right? Minghao and everything about him fell under the latter category. Plus, Junhui didn’t think he was that creative that he was able to conjure an entire person just to take the form on his subconscious. Why would he even do that, anyway?

 

The blonde sighed, “you don’t believe that at all. I know that look, you’re halfway into falling in love with someone who is—literally—just in your dreams.”

 

“I am _not_ falling in love,” Junhui argued. He wasn’t, really, he knew he wasn’t _that_ desperate. “Besides, he might be a real person visiting my dreams.”

 

“You’ve watched Inception way too much.”

 

“It’s a nice movie!” He said with a laugh as the two entered their next classroom. 

 

Jihoon absolutely hated algebra, which was why it was the one class that they had where they weren’t seat mates. Junhui—pretty much blind without his glasses—made sure to sit near the front. Jihoon was having none of that. He needed a seat where he could freely not listen to anything, but also would eventually move to the empty seat next to Junhui during quizzes. That was just the way these things worked.

 

Once the bell rang, Junhui was beginning to daydream again, wondering about mundane things like what he should eat for lunch later. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t completely catch what the teacher was saying, but he figured it wasn’t anything too important, since the lesson that day was fairly easy. His eyes were just about to close again when he heard a voice coming from in front. 

 

“Hi. My name is Xu Minghao.”

 

Junhui’s head snapped up immediately, eyes wide.

 

It’s him.

 

It had to be; from the hair to the eyes to his voice to his actual name, even. The teacher was explaining something about how he was transfer student, how the class should treat him well, before ending with an offer from anybody in the class to ask Minghao something as his introduction. Someone in the back asked where he was transferring from, which earned a small smile from the blonde boy.

 

“Far away from here,” he answered. Minghao glanced at Junhui, barely a second, but that was all the latter needed to be sure. _He came from my dreams_ , Junhui thought to himself, still staring at the new student like his life depended on it. He almost missed when the teacher asked Minghao to look for an empty seat.

 

Minghao walked towards the seat next to Junhui and offered a smile, “can I sit here?”

 

“O-of course.”

 

Technically, that was the seat Jihoon would occupy, but Junhui figured his friend would forgive him. He knew Jihoon must have noticed the name by now, too, which meant Junhui didn’t have to explain much. Maybe just a little, but even he didn’t have much answers himself. How did his dream boy suddenly show up in school? Why? Who was he, really? 

 

Was it even him?

 

Junhui almost didn’t catch that Minghao was talking to him.

 

“Hi! My name is Minghao. What’s yours?” The blonde asked with a smile, so familiar that it made Junhui’s heart flutter a little. 

 

“Wen Junhui,” he answered promptly. Okay, so _maybe_ the boy was everything like the boy in his dreams, but if he was the _exact_ same one, surely he didn’t have to ask Junhui for his name. The whole exchange only managed to confuse Junhui further, but he tried not to let it show. Instead, he offered a bright smile of his own. “I hope you enjoy your stay here.”

 

The other boy’s smile widened, “I think I will.”

 

They didn’t talk for the rest of the class, since Minghao actually took notes, and Junhui was just way too distracted by everything to actually formulate a way to talk to Minghao some more. He needed to talk to Jihoon, immediately, which was why he rushed to the back of the class as soon as the bell rang. Minghao was escorted out by the teacher for something he didn’t catch, which meant Junhui wasn’t missing any chances or anything.

 

“It’s him,I swear it’s him,” he said before Jihoon could say anything.

 

“Look, I know they have the same name and all, but—“

 

Junhui groaned, “not just their name, Jihoon! Everything from his hair to his voice—literally everything. It’s him, I’m positive.”

 

Still, Jihoon looked a little wary, “I don’t know, Jun. I believe you when you say he’s the guy who shows up in your dreams, but he didn’t look like he knew you that way. Also, by the way, giving him my quiz seat? Rude.”

 

“You know I had to,” the brunette said with a sigh. “It’s for love.”

 

“I thought you _weren’t_ in love?”

 

“I’m kidding,” Junhui replied with a small giggle, eventually turning into a full blown laugh as Jihoon continued to show doubt that it was a joke at all. It was a joke—that’s what he told himself, anyway, since he knew falling for someone he literally just dream about wasn’t the most logical thing to do. He was a logical person if he tried, really.

 

If he thought about it, Junhui didn’t think it would be hard, though.

 

He could still vaguely remember the earlier dreams he had with Minghao. He didn’t treat it as much, since he’s had recurring dreams before, until it registered that Minghao actually interacted with him. The blonde was always talking to him, one way or another, while Junhui found it easy to keep the conversation going. Even if he never got any of his more pressing questions answered, Minghao did a good job keeping him entertained regardless.

 

Not to mention, dream figure or not, Minghao was _attractive_.

 

He had this smooth voice that matched his almost aloof personality, a soft giggle that made him appear softer than he usually did with his all white attire to match, plus a charming smile that made Junhui’s heart flutter once or twice. 

 

If the Xu Minghao he met was anything like the Minghao he knew, well, Junhui knew where his feelings were going to take him.

 

The rest of the day transpired in regular fashion. The brunette didn’t have any other class where Minghao showed up, all the way until lunch, which was when he found himself in the cafeteria with Jihoon. The latter also eventually let the topic go, although it was clear he still found the whole thing rather odd. They were in the middle of chatting about the latest Marvel movie when Jihoon had paused and gestured towards the entrance.

 

“There’s your dream boy right now. He looks alone. Want to call him over?”

 

Before Junhui could reply, Jihoon had already shouted out the other boy’s name.

 

“Minghao! Over here!”

 

“What would you do that for?” Junhui hissed while Minghao was making his way over. His friend just laughed and looked pleased with himself, stating that he was doing Junhui a favour by helping the two get to know each other. The brunette, however, could feel the quickening of his heartbeat and wished he had a better best friend. These things would be easier if he weren’t so shy. 

 

He tried his best to act as casual as possible when Minghao stopped at their table.  
  
“Hey,” he greeted, glancing back and forth between Junhui and Jihoon, as if waiting for something.

 

“Wanna sit with us?” Jihoon finally asked. “I’m Jihoon. Your classmate in algebra, too, I just sit near the back. You remember your seat mate, right?”

 

“Junhui, of course,” the blonde said with a smile directed towards Junhui himself, who wanted to melt into a puddle right there. Minghao eased himself into the seat across the two, placing his tray down and looking pleased at the development. He was asking something, Junhui could tell, but the brunette couldn’t hear very well amidst his inward panicking. Jihoon had to nudge his shoulder before he could snap out of it.

 

Jihoon cleared his throat, “he’s asking if you’re free later. He needs to go somewhere around campus.”

 

“Oh!” The brunette nodded a bit too quickly, before catching himself. He gave another short nod, “I’m free right after lunch. Are you coming with us, Jihoon?”

 

His best friend gave him a look that said _obviously not_ , before shaking his head and stating he had prior arrangements. Junhui knows Jihoon’s schedule by heart, mainly because they make sure to have identical ones each semester, and the other boy was definitely free at the same time on Mondays. He wisely chose not to comment on this as Minghao said his thanks. 

 

The rest of lunch consisted of small talk that was mainly just questions thrown Minghao’s way, all of which he answered just fine. Far away apparently meant Anshan, China; if Junhui was slightly disappointed that Minghao had an actual location that wasn’t his dreams, he hoped it didn’t show. The other boy moved because of his family’s work thing, liked dancing, and seemed to know the latest pop culture trivia Jihoon would mention here and there, too.

 

“Nice phone wallpaper,” Minghao pointed out at one point, giggling at the sight of Groot on Jihoon’s phone.

 

By the time lunch was nearly ending, Junhui was in a bigger dilemma than before. The other boy didn’t seem to know anything about him, compared to how familiar Junhui found him to be. He was admittedly disappointed, but just a little bit, since this Minghao wasn’t so bad either. Plus, he could even be considered better since he was real, after all. Junhui still had a lot of questions about the boy who appeared in his dreams, but decided it wasn’t something he should bring up if he wanted to remain looking sane.

 

Still, there was a sense of familiarity with the way Minghao moved, that Junhui couldn’t help but stare for a bit too long sometimes.

 

At some point, the blonde had asked, “do I have anything on my face? You’ve been staring for a while, Junhui.”

 

From the side, Jihoon nearly choked on his drink from trying not to laugh at that while Junhui frantically shook his head.

 

“I wasn’t! Your face is perfectly hands—fine! You look fine.”

 

Minghao grinned, “if you say so.”

 

After a while, Minghao had excused himself—something to do with getting something signed first—and said he’ll meet Junhui by the campus soccer field instead. They exchanged phone numbers, another thing that cemented Junhui’s thought that this Minghao wasn’t _the_ Minghao of his dreams. He vaguely remembered asking if there was any way he could contact the boy in his dreams and was met with a no. By the time he left, Jihoon immediately rounded Junhui with a teasing grin. 

 

“Y-your face is p-p-perfectly handsome—“

 

“I didn’t stutter!” Junhui shot back. “And _you_ lied about not being free later!”

 

His friend scoffed, “yeah, for good reason, don’t you want to spend quality time with your Minghao?”

 

“Actually, I don’t think he’s the same Minghao now,” the brunette said with a small sigh, catching the other boy by surprise, who replied that Junhui felt so sure earlier. “Yeah, but it doesn’t seem like he knows me. Maybe it’s just some wild coincidence.”

 

“You’re still interested though.”

 

The Chinese boy shrugged, “yeah, I guess. Also, he was flirting earlier, right? That was definitely flirting, right? I’m not being delusional this time?”

 

“Whatever you wanna call that, sure,” the blonde said, standing up. “Tell me how things go.”

 

Once Jihoon left, it didn’t take long before Junhui received a text from Minghao, saying that he was on his way. The walk there wasn’t too long, but Junhui felt like it took him a little bit longer than usual to finally see the field. Sure enough, he could spot a figure standing in the center that looked a lot like Minghao, except he was dressed in all white—the boy from earlier was definitely in something red or black, Junhui couldn’t say for sure, but not _white_. 

 

White, like the Minghao he knew would wear in his dreams.

 

Confused and excited all at once, Junhui rushed over to the other boy, “Minghao?”

 

“Hey,” the blonde greeted without looking over, still staring into the distance. Junhui followed his line of sight and gasped. This was definitely not the soccer field he knew of, even if he was sure that was where he was headed just a few seconds earlier. It was essentially like his dreams came to life; a field with flowers surrounding them as far as the eye can see. Did this mean he was dreaming again? Did he fall asleep somewhere?

 

He voiced out his thoughts and received a chuckle.

 

“No, you’re awake,” Minghao said, gesturing for Junhui to come closer, which the latter did so without thinking twice about it. Junhui found himself next to Minghao on the grass, everything familiar yet also new at the same time. He looked up towards the sky to find the clouds bright, white, and fluffy; at least that was something he knew didn’t change. When he glanced back at the other boy, Minghao also had his gaze upward. 

 

Unable to take the silence, Junhui couldn’t help but ask, “so am I going to get some kind of explanation?”

 

“Well, sure,” the other boy replied eventually. “That’s what you deserve. Where do you want me to start?”

 

“You’re the same Minghao, right? From my dreams?”

 

He got a nod in response.

 

“How did you find me? Or were you always around?”

 

“I was always around,” Minghao said slowly after thinking about it for a while, as if still somewhat unsure of the specifics. He held his right hand out as a breeze came from out of nowhere. After a few seconds, Junhui noticed something white flutter down to rest on the other boy’s palm—a butterfly, but formed from a cloud, like what Minghao did with his cat earlier that day. The blonde boy smiled gently as he spoke again, “but probably not in the way you think.”

 

Junhui huffed, “that doesn’t make anything clearer.”

 

The butterfly on Minghao’s hand fluttered a bit, before changing form. It took a moment for the brunette to notice that it now turned into an actual dandelion puff, still somewhat resembling a fluffy cloud, but now complete with a green stem and all. It took a moment before Junhui noticed Minghao was holding the flower out to him, which he immediately took as careful as possible.

 

“The seeds won’t fly away,” Minghao said when he noticed the other boy’s careful movements. “It won’t break, either.”

 

When Junhui tried to blow it off—a bad idea if ever it did fly away, but he also figured Minghao could just conjure one all over again—the flower remained the same. Bewildered, he looked at Minghao straight in the eyes with a newfound sort of determination, “how do you do all this?”

 

He was met with a warm smile.

 

“Once upon a time,” the blonde began to say. “An angel—if you will, but maybe dream sprite is more appropriate—fell in love with a human after visiting his dreams. The human’s pure essence and positivity made the sprite keep coming back. One day, he was given the choice: keep visiting the human’s dreams or actually be with him for a day, just one day.”

 

Minghao chuckled, taking in Junhui’s shocked expression, “so can you tell which one he chose?”

 

The brunette had way too many emotions rushing through him after hearing Minghao’s words. A mix of joy and disbelief—angels? dream sprites? in love with _him_?—yet he also managed to catch onto the underlying tone of sadness. The fact that the two choices were pit up against each other had to mean something deeper. If Minghao chose to be with him for a day, does it mean the other option—continuing to visit his dreams—would no longer be possible?

 

As if reading his thoughts, the blonde sighed, “it’s a bit of a selfish choice, maybe. I just really wanted to meet you in person. It does get rid of our dream meetings. I’m sorry, Junhui.”

 

It would be a lie to say that Junhui didn’t feel a pang of sadness when he found out. He grew attached to the little dreams and moments they spent together. Like with everything else in his life though, he decided to ignore that to focus on the positive side.He could grow attached to this Minghao too, the one right in front of him, as soon as they get out of whatever weird realm they were in and actually have a good time.

 

Except it was just for a day, Junhui realized suddenly. 

 

“The one day you have,” the brunette began, hesitating a little bit. “When does it end?”

 

“In a few minutes.”

 

“ _What?_ ” Junhui couldn’t help but exclaim, louder than he wanted. He was okay with the idea initially, thinking they had the rest of the day to spend, but—he turned towards Minghao, certain that he looked as distressed as he felt. A few minutes? They had barely spent the day together, since being in class didn’t count and lunch wasn’t exactly a long affair either. “You have got to be kidding m—“

 

Minghao was already shaking his head, “I’m sorry. It’s what was given to me.”

 

The blonde extended his hand towards Junhui’s face, cupping his cheek as Minghao leaned in before the other boy could even question what was happening or complain about things further.He whispered something Junhui didn’t quite catch, right before their lips touched for the slightest moment. Just as Junhui had realized the situation—that if anything, this was a kiss _good bye_ —his surroundings turned a bright white.

 

Wen Junhui didn’t remember closing his eyes, but when he opened them, it was to the school bell ringing. His history teacher was packing up in front of class, telling the class about an assignment that he swore he’s heard the teacher say before. His other classmates had already began to pack up and head out of the classroom. Next to him, Jihoon had a look on his face that was clearly unamused, as the blonde shook his head.

 

“Pleasant dreams, Jun?”

 

A dream. 

 

Was that all it was? 

 

“How long was I asleep?” Junhui asked instead of answering. There was no way he ended up dreaming all _that_ , especially the last bit, even if history class was an hour long. Time worked differently in dreams, sure, but it just wasn’t possible. Plus he needed to know, somehow. He needed to know just how much of Minghao was real or fake, true or false, and especially if the boy—if he could still call him just a regular boy—really did appear in real life. 

 

Jihoon shrugged, “most of the period. Why?”

 

“We need to get to algebra class,” the Chinese boy said, remembering how Minghao had showed up as a new student. “Let’s go, come on.”

 

“Why are you in such a rush? Did something happen in your dreams again?” Jihoon asked, scoffing a little, but there was a hint of genuine curiousity in his tone. Normally, the brunette would easily begin to talk about his latest dream, especially if it involved Minghao. However, Junhui didn’t want to consider it as _just_ a dream; everything was too real, too vivid, and if he tried he knew he could still feel what it was like to have Minghao’s lips pressed against his.

 

So for the first time in a long while, they were early to algebra class. Junhui sat anxiously in his seat, fidgeting with anything he could touch, from his id lace to the hem of his shirt. It felt like forever before more students arrived, followed finally by the teacher. There was nobody following after him, nobody waiting outside the classroom that seemed like an unfamiliar—or in this case, familiar—face waiting to be called. No new student. 

 

He waited until the bell rang before giving up.

 

The teacher was beginning the lesson by the time Junhui had accepted that things must have been some sort of crazy dream. What did it mean if it was? Did he imagine everything, then? Even the last part—maybe _especially_ the last part—with Minghao being in love with him and visiting and how they would never see each other again. Although, if he thought about things now, he wouldn’t mind it being a dream if it meant Minghao would appear again.

 

His head began to hurt at the thought of everything, so he soon decided to clear his mind from thoughts of dreams and Minghao and save it for later that night. Junhui reached into his back to pull out his algebra notebook, turning it open to a random page, when something white caught his eye. Wedged in between the pages of his notebook was the dandelion puff, still looking prim and proper despite being squished. 

 

_The seeds won’t fly away. It won’t break, either._

 

Junhui’s heart hammered in his chest; so it wasn’t just a dream then.

 

The thought made him happy for a short while, since it was soon replaced by the reality that all of that happened only to end with Minghao disappearing for good. He was staring at the dandelion in his between his fingers, twisting it here and there and marvelling at how it remained in one piece when he suddenly recalled what Minghao had whispered before the kiss.

 

_Remember me._

 

How could he ever forget?

 

 

 

 

Weeks later, Junhui still continued to carry the dandelion around, tucked in between the pages of his notebook. His only link, now, since sure enough he stopped dreaming about Minghao. It was almost a little bittersweet to have it around. Sometimes, he would bring it out whenever he was bored, such was the case in algebra class once more. He was still staring at the dandelion when his ears picked up on a familiar voice coming from the front of the classroom. 

 

A bit _too_ familiar.

 

“Hi! My name is Xu Minghao.”

 

Wen Junhui looked up to see dark eyes, even darker hair, and the same achingly familiar smile.

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you like my work and would like to support me, please consider buying me coffee!  
> https://ko-fi.com/stilljunhui


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